A molecular phylogeny of the genus Gammarus (Crustacea: Amphipoda) based on mitochondrial and nuclear gene sequences

A phylogeny of the genus Gammarus Fabricius, 1775 was constructed using DNA sequence data from the mitochondrial genes COI and 16S, and the nuclear genes 18S and 28S. Both parsimony and Bayesian analyses were conducted on separate and combined data partitions. The Bayesian phylogeny from the combined analysis was selected as the preferred phylogenetic hypothesis. The hypothesis supports monophyly of the genus Gammarus, paraphyly of the European-North American Gammarus, and monophyly of the Asian Gammarus. The Asian clade was further split into a southeastern group and a northwestern group. The dramatic climate change following the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau was probably the most important factor in triggering the diversification of southeastern and northwestern groups. The genus Sinogammarus is invalid and should be part of the genus Gammarus.